Respect for Niqab
Author: Sister A Abdullah
Published on: January 21, 2001
There
is a lot of debate among Muslims as to whether or not it is
required for a Muslim woman to cover her face and
hands in addition to the rest of her body when appearing in
public or in front of non-Mahrem men. The purpose of
this article is not to fall on either side of that debate,
but to urge all Muslims to show respect for sisters who have
chosen to wear either the khimar (full face covering)
or the niqab (face covering which leaves the eyes
exposed.) Some Muslims give these sisters a hard time, saying
that they are doing above and beyond what has been commanded
by Allah SWT, and that the "extreme" appearance of
these fully-veiled women projects a bad image to the
non-Muslims who already view the Muslim woman as weak and
oppressed. They argue that such individuals, upon seeing
fully-veiled Muslim women, will be "turned off" by "Islam,
and we will have forever lost potential Muslim converts, or
even the understanding and sympathy of the non-Muslim
community.
Think about it carefully: would we ever think of criticizing
a Muslim who fasts extra days outside of "Ramadan? Do
we belittle the Muslims whose prayers exceed the prescribed
daily five? Are we upset when Muslims give more zakat
than required by Islamic Law? Of course not. We admire such
people for their apparent dedication to Allah SWT, just as we
should admire Muslim women who cover their faces for the same
reason. Whether they veil because they take the so-called
"most-conservative" viewpoint that covering the face is a
requirement of Islamic Law, or because they simply believe
that they will earn extra reward from our Lord and Creator
for doing something more. Praise be to Allah, veiled women
are engaged in halal, and that is the bottom line.
As for the question of non-Muslims being "turned off" by
Islam upon seeing fully-veiled Muslim women, Muslims should
not waste time and energy worrying about such matters. To the
contrary, some non-Muslims are not critical of the face-veil
at all and are so intrigued by it that they actually become
interested in Islam as a direct result of seeing fully
covered Muslim women.
One non-Muslim woman wrote about her impressions of the
face-veil in our local newspaper after crossing paths with a
veiled woman on a busy city street. The writer was struck by
the confidence with which the Muslim woman walked, seeing all
that was around her, but not being seen by others, secure in
the knowledge that no man could make a lewd comment to her
about her shapeless body and invisible face. She confessed a
twinge of jealousy as she contemplated her own short skirt
and tight blouse, realizing in a split second that, no matter
how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, society's
men were probably not judging her solely for her intellectual
and professional capabilities. She now felt embarassed in
front of the Muslim woman who must've, she imagined, felt
somewhat sorry for a "liberated" western woman like herself
who could not even make it from one end of the street to the
other without fear of harassment. (Please note that these
were the writer's own sentiments and my intention is not to
put her down but to show that there is more to equal rights
than rules and regulations: it also has to do with belief,
mindset and the reality of how men and women interact with
one another as opposed to how we think they should in a
perfect world.)
Contrast this powerful piece of writing to an article
authored by a Muslim woman in another newspaper. In it, the
woman practically begged non-Muslims not to judge Islam by
the face-veil, which, she claimed, is a mere cultural
tradition having nothing to do with Islam. This article
served to divide local Muslims into two camps, understandably
upsetting veiled women and their families. Even if one wanted
to take the "least-least conservative" point of view and say
that the veil is nothing more than a cultural tradition, it
should not be forgotten that such a tradition has sprung
forth from a culture of Muslims who are seeking the
reward and pleasure of Allah, Most High. We should, in fact,
respect the sisters who, in spite of the intense scrutiny
placed upon them by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, continue
to veil, refusing to abandon a halal garment which provides
them (and the community as a whole) with extra doses of
security, honor and pride.
Islam is a light that Allah SWT puts into one's heart, and He
will undoubtedly help those sincere individuals who are
seeking the Straight Path to get there one way or another. It
really has nothing to do with what people "think about
Islam." One of the best things we can do as Muslims is to
behave well, dealing with people kindly and fairly,
remembering that it is ultimately up to the will of Allah,
Most Glorious if a particular individual is to become a
Muslim or not. We should never think that we have to change
the good things about ourselves in order to attract new
converts to Islam. This strategy is not only demoralizing to
one's iman, but it also does not work.
In conclusion, I would like to note that I do not wear the
face-veil myself (only the basic hijab) but that I do
have enormous respect for the women who cover their faces. I
was prompted to write this article after hearing from many of
my fully-veiled sisters in faith that some of the harshest
criticisms they receive are from within the American Muslim
community itself and not from non-Muslims as they had
anticipated before adopting the veil. I really think that all
Muslims should realize how much courage and confidence it
takes to veil one's self in modern-day America and that we
should be their best supporters in the struggle for the
Muslim woman's right to veil
In
the Name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful